My White Dove
by LovelyFarron
Summary: A year after the Prophecy has been fulfilled it resurfaces, only to have had a second part added to it. Raven must find out what it means and who her Half is before she looses it forever.
1. Chapter 1

Cartoon: Teen Titans

Genre: Romance/Friendship

Pairing(s): Robin/Raven, minor Slade/Raven

Rating: T

My White Dove

~1~

_The Gem was born of evil's fire_

_The Gem shall be His portal_

_He comes to claim, He comes to sire_

_The End of all things Mortal_

_The Gem rose from the ashes_

_The Gem shall bring a new age_

_To find the other Half out of the masses_

_As is written in history's final page_

_/_

Raven's eyes flew open, her heart racing wildly within her chest and grey skin covered with a cool sheen of sweat. Her generously shaped lips were parted, shaky breaths coming and going as she sat bolt upright in bed. The cool air attacked her as the sheet covering her slid off, revealing her thin body clothed in nothing other than a black bra and purple and black striped night shorts. The cold sweat she had awoken in mixed with the even colder air and threatened to make her very uncomfortable and probably would have had she been paying more attention to her physical state. As it was, her mind was elsewhere, light-years away and not concentrated in the least on the sensations her body was experiencing.

"It was just a dream Raven, nothing more," she whispered to herself, eyes wide and unfocused as she looked at something that was beyond the physical realm. "That part of you life's done, over with. _For good_. He's _never_ coming back. _Never._" Her voice cam e out wobbly and unsure; if she had been trying to convince herself that it was really over with, that Trigon was gone for good…well…she had failed.

_The Gem was born of evil's fire_

_The Gem shall be His portal_

_He comes to claim, He comes to sire_

_The End of all things Mortal_

_The Gem rose from the ashes_

_The Gem shall bring a new age_

_To find the other Half out of the masses_

_As is written in history's final page_

She closed her eyes, a shaky breath escaping her as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them, crunching her body together.

The Prophecy.

Or at least…the first part of it was. But that part was over with as she had said, dealt with for all eternity. She had seen to that. But the second part…she had never heard of it before.

She opened her eyes and looked around her room, agitated. The shadows around her seemed to jump and twist into demonic shapes, reaching for her in the darkness, lusting for her life's breath. She resisted the urge to crawl under her covers in a childish manner, choosing to confront her fear rather than hide from it.

Logically she knew that there was nothing in the room that could harm her. Logically she knew that she was safe inside the Tower; with the latest updates in security for both physical and spiritual entities there was nothing that could get inside without setting off a ton of alarms. Not to mention she'd have felt something. Logically nothing could get in and touch her. But when did logic trump strong emotion?

Despite her fear, Raven felt irritation creeping up inside her. She was Raven, the Dark One, the Creepy One, the daughter of the Devil. She was the Mistress of Darkness, she was one with the shadows. She shouldn't be afraid, shouldn't be cowering under her sheets like a scared little girl.

But, she realized almost grudgingly, she really was a scared little girl.

Despite all her power, despite the threat that had been removed, despite everything that she had ever done…she was still afraid, still jumped at things that went bump in the night. And she hated herself for it.

Her brow furrowed and she leaned forward, resting her forehead against her knees. Her short purple-blue hair brushed against her cheek, the watermelon scent filling her nose with its sweet scent. She pulled in deep breaths, attempting to calm herself.

What did it all mean? Why now, a year later, was she being haunted by something she had thought had been over forever? And why had the prophecy been added to?

She threw her head back, looking up at her ceiling, wishing that the answers she longed to have would just come to her.

What was going on? Why did it feel like the world was about to end again? Why was she so afraid?

The room remained silent, no ominous or soothing voices speaking to her from wherever it was those sorts of voices came from.

Letting out a long breath, she let her legs go. Closing her eyes and folding her legs in her usual meditative position, she levitated herself above her bed.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…" she said slowly, calmly. "Azarath….Metrion…Zinthos…"

It was going to be a long night.

/

Robin sat bolt upright in bed, his heart in his throat and his stomach in an uproar. He blinked several times, clearing away the sleep that fogged his vision. His tongue felt like cotton in his mouth and his muscles were clenching, pent up adrenaline making them burn with energy.

_The Gem was born of evil's fire_

_The Gem shall be His portal_

_He comes to claim, He comes to sire_

_The End of all things Mortal_

_The Gem rose from the ashes_

_The Gem shall bring a new age_

_To find the other Half out of the masses_

_As is written in history's final page_

The Prophecy.

Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he rested his arms on his legs, his elbows on his knees and his chin on the back of his hand. A million thoughts were going through his head, questions with no answers.

_Raven_.

This had to be because of the bond he had with her. He had felt her alarm, had heard that odd layered voice speaking to her in her dreams.

Willing himself to stay still for a minute, he focused on the thread that connected him to the girl down the hall, calling upon its mysterious powers to get a feel for what was going inside her head. Much to his concern he felt fear unlike anything he had ever experienced radiating out from her, screaming at him inside his mind.

_Raven_.

The overwhelming urge to get up and go to his distressed friend nearly overpowered him, but he made himself remain where he was. He knew that she knew that he had felt it, had been woken up by the voice from beyond. He also knew that now would not be a good time for him to go to her, that she would not like him seeing her so rattled. Of course he didn't care what state of mind she was in and just wanted to help but he also respected her enough to wait until morning when she would have gotten control over her feelings and had possibly sorted through a few of her books looking for answers.

Dropping his hands he let out a sigh as he let his head fall forward slightly. His eyes glanced over to his closed door, the sense of Raven reaching him even behind closed doors and thick walls. He clenched his fists and opened them several times, trying to decide on what to do. With her in the state she was in there was no way he could fall back asleep, not knowing that his friend was in such distress. Even if they hadn't had the link he knew he would have felt her agony and wouldn't have been able to sit still.

After a minute of indecision, he stood up briskly, his limps thankful that he was doing more than just sitting. Grabbing his mask, he slapped it on and headed towards the door dressed in nothing but his boxers. He opened the metal door and stepped out into the hall, making his way quickly down it towards the stairs that would take him to the training area. Luckily for him no one else would be up and out for hours so he could walk around without embarrassment.

Raven's distress grew stronger the closer he got to her room, his head pounding as her emotions and thoughts bled through to him on their bond. He gritted his teeth and forced his breathing to remain steady, trying to force a sense of calm through the bond to her. He felt bad, responsible even for her state, even though he knew that it wasn't his fault…

_Or is it?_

His eyes widened as the thought struck him, the voice that said belonging not to him but to something else entirely. A shiver ran through his body and with a start he realized that he was standing at Raven's door.

_Robin_.

His mouth dropped open but no words came out. His hand rose without his knowing and touched the smooth, flawless surface and a sudden pulse of energy ran into his fingertips.

_Raven_.

She was there, just behind the door.

_Robin_.

Her voice—and it definitely was her voice—echoed inside his head, chilling him to the core. It was sad and lonely and desperate, things that he never wanted coming out of Raven, ever.

_Go._

He blinked, surprised even though he shouldn't have been. His hand fell away from the door and the pulsating energy that had been running through his body disappeared. He backed away from her door and continued in the direction he had been headed before the interruption.

Tomorrow they would talk.


	2. Chapter 2

~2~

"Who wants tofu waffles?"

Raven winced, Beast Boy's loud voice ringing in her ears. Shooting the green boy a dirty look, she grabbed the coffee she had poured for herself, sniffing it gingerly, nose wrinkling in disgust before she took a sip. Her face scrunched up as the burning hot liquid slid down the back of her throat.

_Ugh._

_Disgusting._

The reclusive girl wasn't a fan of the caffeinated stuff for a reason but that morning she needed a little extra boost of energy. Steeling her taste buds for the bitter drink again, she sipped daintily at it, repressing a shudder.

"I said, who wants—"

"Shut it BB!" Cyborg commanded, slapping a large hand over the smaller boy's mouth. "No one wants a taste of your nasty waffles!"

Beast Boy looked at his teammate, giving him a very Raven-like glare. "Heyf! Iwikeim!" He complained in a muffled voice.

Cyborg just rolled his eyes and removed his hand, moving off to the fridge to find something greasy and unhealthy…in other words, bacon. The kitchen was sure to be one giant mess shortly and Raven was thankful that it was not her day to do the dishes.

"I will eat the waffles made of tofu!" Starfire volunteered joyfully, green eyes bright and alert despite the hour of the morning. "They are most delicious, especially when accompanied by the wonderfully tangy taste of the yellow mustard."

Beast Boy shuddered but said nothing, returning to his task of whipping up some of his vegetarian breakfast food, at least a little grateful that someone was there to appreciate his cooking despite their choice of condiments. He started to whistle some cheery tune, not bothering to take into account that there was at least one person in the room that would prefer at least a little less noise in the already busy room.

Raven sighed and closed her eyes, taking in the scene with a mixture of irritation and comfort. Irritation at the noise and vitality her friends were displaying regardless of the time, comfort in the familiarity. After the night she'd had…she needed this more than she could express.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked as Beast Boy finished the first set of waffles, setting a plateful down in front of the orange-skinned girl. "Has anyone seen him?"

"Nope, sorry Star," Beast Boy said as he prepared the next set of waffles. "You seen him Cy?"

Cyborg licked his lips as he set the bacon down on the frying pan he had just pulled out. "Haven't seen him. Heard him though."

Starfire's face brightened noticeably. "Oh? What did you hear?"

"Not much," Cyborg admitted, glancing over at the Tamaranian. "I got up early for a morning workout but when I got to the training room I heard him goin' at it. He sounded pretty wound up, so I decided to go for a jog outside instead." His brow creased. "You know, come to think of it…from the way he was hitting whatever it was he was hittin'…well, it reminds me of…" His voice trailed off, but everyone knew the time, or rather times, he was referring to.

"But we have not heard from the Slade for three months now," Starfire pointed out, frowning. Her cheery persona had faded, to be replaced with her battle serious one. Many people misjudged the young woman and wrote her off as being naïve and stupid, and while it was true that she was naïve she was not stupid in the slightest.

"Maybe _we _haven't but maybe _Robin_ has," Cyborg pointed out. He let out a breath and shook his head, tending to the sizzling meat. "Shoulda known."

"The dude has to quit hiding things from us!" Beast Boy grumped, his toothy mouth in a pout. "Seriously! We're his friends! After all we've been through…you'd think he'd trust us with something like this!"

Raven, who had been silent up until that point, felt something inside her snap at Beast Boy's words. Of course he was well within his rights to complain about their leader's behavior but it still irked Raven, possibly because she knew the real reason for the boy wonder's absence. She held her tongue though, wanting to keep to herself as much as possible. She was on edge to say the least and she didn't want her friends meddling in matters that didn't concern them.

She winced inwardly at her words.

_Meddling in matters that didn't concern them._

If only Beast Boy could hear her thoughts…he'd probably think she was as bad as Robin. Actually, he probably already did and most likely thought she was even worse…

She shook her head, pushing the thoughts from her mind. No, Beast Boy didn't think such things about her or Robin. He was just hurt; he trusted others easily and didn't understand why someone, why Robin, why Raven, couldn't do the same. Starfire was as open as he was and Cyborg was a happy medium between the two groups of people living in Titans Tower. Sometimes Raven envied those three, the three with her in that very room. Despite the tragedies they had suffered, the betrayals lived through, the loves lost…they were still so…_pure_. So innocent. Whereas she and Robin…

"Enough!" Starfire shouted, banging her hand on the table. The sturdy piece of metal nearly bent under her powerful strike. "Robin is our friend! We should trust him to do what is right! If he does not feel like confiding in us his troubles there must be good reason!"

Beast Boy snorted. "Sure Star. That's easy for you to say!"

Starfire's frown deepened. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, anger in her normally light voice.

"What I mean to say is—"

"Your waffles are burning," Raven pointed out calmly. She did not want the pointless argument to escalate and his waffles really were burning.

"Agh!" he yelped, his attention flying back to his food, completely forgetting about the argument. "No, no, no no!"

"Ew! Yuck BB!" Cyborg gagged, waving a hand in front of his face. "I didn't think it was possible but those things smell even nastier!"

/

As Raven walked down the hall towards the training room Robin's emotions grew stronger. She doubted that he could feel hers now since she'd spent the better part of the night and morning getting them under control to the point where she could barely feel them herself. Not feeling them at all would have been nicer but she supposed she'd have to make do.

The boy she was currently seeking was seething with stress and worry, anger and frustration. This confused her slightly and she began to wonder if perhaps the others were right; had he been contacted by Slade at some point in the wee hours? Or was he really that upset about what he had felt from her last night? Had her turning him away caused him distress? Or was it something else entirely?

She decided against using their mental bond, which was growing stronger by the day, to pry for information that he might not want to give up. Still, she could still feel him, could still hear whispers of his voice and tickles of his thoughts. It was chilling and warming at the same time, something fresh and exciting and unlike anything she'd ever experienced before but scary all the same. She'd always been a private person and to know that someone was getting close to her like that, without them even having to really try…it was unnerving.

Her heart fluttered inside her chest and her breath came unevenly.

It was strange, this bond. She had never gone into someone's mind, their very soul before like that and this was the reason why. She had feared that should she violate the sanctity of one's inner being—even if it was with their permission it was still a violation—that there would be adverse consequences. While the bond wasn't necessarily an adverse consequence it was certainly something. What it was—a nuisance, a pain, a perk, a gift—she wasn't yet sure. While it was nice to have someone that could pick up on the little things, something he had already been quite good at, it was a little unsettling to know that at any moment some memory, some inner demon, might pop up out of nowhere and not only cause her grief but negatively affect another person as well. Just as the dream had.

As she neared the place where the spikey-haired boy was working up a storm, the more she grew certain that his current mental state was a combination of the dream, her reaction to it and dismissal of him, and his own inability to make heads or tails of it. She felt responsible to say the least and was rather upset that she was the cause of his morning seclusion and nightly unrest.

Setting in her mind to make things right, she lifted her hand to knock on the door of the training room. No noises were coming from inside the room but he was certainly in there, she was sure of it. She could feel him in her mind, in her very soul. She could feel his presence just beyond the metal door, aching, raging, wondering.

Her breath caught in her throat, her hand stopping and hovering just a few inches from the door. She felt much the way she had felt him feeling the night before, standing there outside her door, not wanting to disturb but wanting to all the same. It was maddening.

Fortunately, she didn't have to disturb him. Before she could make up her mind, the door slid open revealing their leader, who at some point had gone back to his room and dressed in something more appropriate than just boxers and a mask. He was now clad in a white sleeveless top and grey gym shorts, workout shoes and mask completing the getup.

She had no doubt in her mind that he had known she was coming, had felt her spirit as she moved down the hall. Now that they were standing face to face words failed her, as they seemingly did him. The two just looked at each other for a long while, silence hanging heavy in the air and weighing down heavily on the two.

His emotions quieted down, his thoughts leaving the barest imprint on her own. His mind was like a steel trap when he wanted it to be, knowing that there was a time and place to vent emotions and feelings. Now was not the time or place for him to let his emotions get the best of him and he had brought them under his control with an iron hand, unrelenting in its tight grip.

"Raven, about last night—"

"Robin, please tell me that Slade isn't—"

Their words came out in a rushed jumble, fighting one another to be heard. Both clamped their mouths shut instantly.

"You go first," Raven offered after a minute.

Robin shook his head. "No, you." He tilted his head slightly, a new awareness about him. "Did you say something about Slade?"

Raven bit her lip, a bit miffed at herself for asking. She was almost positive that Slade hadn't contacted Robin so why had it been the first question she had asked? It was a question she knew the answer to (in fact, it was the only question she knew the answer to): she had asked because she wanted to alleviate a little bit of the guilt she felt.

She let out a breath, steadying her racing heart (and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why it was trying to beat its way out of her chest). "Look, Robin, I just want to know that what's going on right now has nothing to do with Slade." She eyed him sternly, letting him know that she was not in the mood for half-truths and lies. "Robin. I know you. Something is bugging you and I'm fairly sure I know what it is but I just want to be sure. I just want to know that you're not hiding things from us. From _me_." The last word she spoke came out a bit more shakily than she was comfortable with, something having stabbed at her insides as she had spoken it and making her want to cry.

The expression that worked its way across Robin's face was one of grim guilt. Raven felt a pang in her heart for him and almost wished she had used the mental link to look into his mind.

"No," Robin said after a moment, looking down at his feet. Shame radiated out from him. He had expected that Raven would come looking for him sooner or later, especially after their little confrontation the night before, and that she would be curious as to why he was so upset. It was only natural that she ask about Slade, to eliminate a reason why he could be in such an inner uproar. He also suspected it was in an effort to make herself feel better about waking him with her disturbing vision (for the more he had thought about it the more convinced he had become that it was not a dream but something else). He didn't blame her in the slightest though and wouldn't hold it against her. It wasn't her fault after all but whoever it was who had sent it. And who was to say it was meant exclusively for her anyway…?

Raven had had vivid dreams/visions before but they had never actually entered into Robin's mind like the one she had had last night. Whenever something like that had happened before, her mind had left a mark on his; his subconscious recognizing the scent and taste and attributing it to belonging not to him but to the girl whose mind was linked to his. In the mornings after he had always had some vague feeling that someone had tramped around a bit in his head but it wasn't painful or disturbing. The dream/vision from the previous night was as clear as day in contrast. He could still hear the words, feel the icy coldness climbing up into his heart and laying down fear. He could still feel the touch of hands as they picked at his skin, begging him to give in and let them tear his flesh apart.

Raven looked away, feeling his discomfort. "I'm sorry for mentioning it then," she said, mistaking her mentioning of Slade as being the reason for his somberness.

Robin's head snapped back up, his face now one of concern. "Don't be. Don't worry about." He scratched the back of his head, running his hand through his thick, spikey black hair. "Raven…I know that something…happened…last night…I…" He trailed off, not sure what to say. Really…how could you talk to someone about something like that, no matter how well you knew them? _Hey I just happened to be sleeping last night when some weird voice entered my head and told me the Prophecy parts 1 and 2?_

Robin shook his head.

Raven swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn't quite ready to talk about it, not even with him. She had a feeling that it was more than a dream but she hadn't had time to consult her books on the matter. She liked to research things before talking about them, liked to understand things completely before she could deal with them. It was just how she was. She had to find out how much Robin knew though, how much he had felt from her. For his own sake.

"…will you let me into your mind now?"

Robin's words caught Raven off guard and made her eyes open wide and fly to his face, which was a mask of determination and calm, his previous expression of guilt gone.

"What?" she breathed, even though she had heard him quite well.

"Will you let me into your mind now?" Robin repeated, his voice steady and level. "Raven…I know what I…_saw_…what I _felt_ last night. What I _heard_."

A dread filled Raven that snaked down to the very core of her being. He had seen it, felt it, heard it. He knew _everything_.

"So you know then," she said in a dead monotone.

Robin nodded. "I do." He sighed and rubbed his temple, the night without sleep replaced with intense training finally catching up to him. "Raven, I—"

"I'm sorry," Raven cut him off.

If Robin hadn't had his mask on Raven would have seen him blink, surprised. "What?"

"I'm sorry Robin, I really am," Raven said miserably, hanging her head in shame. "If I hadn't entered your mind that day, if I hadn't intruded on your innermost thoughts, if I—"

"Raven!" Robin quickly took her hands in his, his lightly-tanned skin striking against her dead grey. The gesture was reminiscent of a time not completely erased from their minds, of a time when the purple-haired girl had told her friends to let her go. Robin still remembered the feeling of her fingers slipping through his, the feeling of her thoughts and emotions retreating inside her as she accepted her fate and became dead inside before her body was. This time he would not be letting go.

"Don't, don't ever say that!" Robin said commandingly yet gently. "If it hadn't been for you, I would have been dead by now." He smiled warmly, showing her his sincerity. "I don't regret the bond we share one bit. I don't regret you going into my mind. It was a risk, not just for me but for you too. But I trusted you and you trusted me. So trust me now. Let me in."

His emotions reached out to her in her despair, inviting, comforting. She wanted to take hold of them, wanted to replace what she was feeling with what he felt but she knew that it would be dangerous for her to do so. If she did it once she would do it again she knew, and the last thing she wanted to do was get addicted to this bond, this attachment, that had been borne out of fear and desperation and should have never existed in the first place.

She wanted someone else to share her misery, wanted someone else to see the many sides of her being. She wanted him to understand more than he already did, wanted someone to see her at her worse and see her at best. She was a fractured human being, largely due to the fact that she was the spawn of a demon. Her soul had been cut into pieces, different personalities that wandered around her mind. She wasn't sure if the Raven she was now was even the right Raven to be. But was she ready for someone else to see that? It was true that Cyborg and Beast Boy had been in her mind once and seen the many different hers, but they hadn't been there long enough to fully comprehend all that she was.

She pulled her hands out of his, stepping back. Not for the first time it crossed her mind that maybe she should leave before things got more complicated. She loved her friends, they were her family after all, but she didn't want to hurt anyone nor did she want Robin to be stuck to her like this out of what could be perceived as some sort of twisted obligation. She felt too strongly when she was around him, something that was dangerous but something that also made her feel so very alive.

"Robin…" she said softly. "I…"

Before she could finish the rest of her sentence the Tower lit up with alarms, the blaring sound alerting all to one thing: trouble.

With a snort of disgust, Robin looked at himself and the state he was in. "Great."

"Friends!" Starfire's voice rang out from the speakers situated in the walls, "There is distress coming from the downtown area!"

Robin fished the comm out of his pocket, pressing down the button that would enable him to transmit his voice. "You guys go ahead; I'll be there after I'm dressed." He de-pressed the button and looked at Raven. "You good to go? You don't have to go if…"

Raven nodded, using her powers to raise her hood over her head. "I'm always good." It was a lie, something they both knew, but what more could be said? She wouldn't sit a battle out, not when she was capable of fighting and protecting innocent lives.

"Just…be careful, alright?" Robin said.

"Always am."

The two shared a look before running off in opposite directions, the feeling that they were on the way to meet their destiny following them as they went.

A/N: To those that think the little argument that I had going on at the beginning between the Titans (because I know that I might get some flack or claims of OOC!) I'd just like to point out that it's natural and healthy for friends to fight. Even in the show the Titans had their arguments from time to time and some of them did revolve around Slade. Based on Robin's personality and the Titan's previous experience with him when it comes to Slade I think it is only natural that they'd have that sort of disagreement.

I'd also like to say to those that reviewed, favorited, followed, or have read the story so far…Thank you! I appreciate your support and I hope you continue to enjoy as the mystery behind the new prophecy unfolds!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I can't remember if the library (the one in "The Prophecy" and "The End" episodes) was downtown or not but sadly I left my Teen Titans DVDs back at my house (I live in an apartment while at college) so I can't watch them to find out where it is! D: For the purposes of this fanfiction, it's downtown haha.

~3~

It was a rather nice day out, to say the least. The sun was shining and a light dusting of snow covered the ground. It was a bit chilly but that wasn't a problem for the hot blooded young heroes as they flew, levitated, and drove into the downtown area of Jump City. Adrenaline was pumping through their veins and setting them on fire, making them itch for a fight to release the pent up energy. Even though it was still morning, all the remnants of sleep had been driven from them by the thrill of battle and they charged forward bravely.

The signal that the Titans Towers computers had detected was faint and tiny, spread out over a wide area. They didn't have the slightest idea what was wrong; there was no smoke, no screams made by terrorized citizens, no explosions, no _nothing_. And that, perhaps, was the scariest thing.

Raven's brow creased as she flew, for once preferring the cold temperatures of the outside to the warmth of the T-Car. Something about this didn't settle right in her mind. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something about this was…amiss. She wondered if the other Titans felt this unease that was eating at her gut, burrowing under her skin, and crawling up her veins to poison her heart and make her mind feel fuzzy and confused. Maybe it was because of the previous night's dream/vision, she wasn't sure.

"You sure you don't want a ride Rae?" Cyborg's voice came over her comm.

Raven sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she squished down the butterflies in her stomach. She felt strange, light-headed, anxious. She felt like she had done something wrong, like she had purposefully set in motion a chain of events that would lead to her own demise. It was ridiculous to think this of course, but a sense of doom couldn't help but fill her up the top of her being and eke into every nook and cranny.

"…Rae?"

Raven's eyes snapped open as Cyborg's words brought her back to reality.

"I'm fine Cyborg," she said, hoping her voice was as steady as she thought it was. "The air is doing me…good."

A sigh issued from her comm. "Alright, if you say so," the cyborg teen said. "But…it's wicked cold out there!"

Raven allowed herself a small smile but did not respond. Cyborg seemed to be unaffected by her mood and she wanted it to remain that way. Being an empath, one who could understand the emotions of others completely, she was able to pick up on other's feelings though the words they spoke, the small gestures they made, the inflections in their voice. Unlike other empaths, however, she could do more than feel someone's emotions but influence them as well. It was a power that she hadn't told the other Titans about for fear that they'd take it the wrong way or begin to suspect that she'd 'influenced' them in one way or another. Of course she knew her friends and understood that while they probably wouldn't be too worried or concerned, people, no matter how much she thought she understood them, could be unpredictable. Who was to say that they wouldn't turn a cold shoulder to her? Who was to say that would look at her with dark, questioning eyes, wondering whether or not what they felt was real or false?

In addition to this disturbing power, there were others she had not told the others about as well. She had part-time prophecies, the ability to project the seven deadly sin of Greed onto others, as well as numerous other abilities. These were her deepest secrets, her darkest sins, and the reason why she didn't want to let Robin inside her mind…

A puff of air escaped her grey lips, coalescing in a cloud as her warm breath met the cooler air.

Secrets. They were her friends, and yet she kept so many things from them, supposedly for their own good. But was it really for their good or hers?

She had lied to Cyborg just then. Not a lot, but a little. The cold air wasn't necessarily doing her good but rather keeping her awake. Maybe she was foolish to keep up the front that everything was ok, but ever since she had defeated Trigon, using her powers had begun to tax her mentally and physically. She really shouldn't be levitating but she had to keep up the front that she alright, that she was still the unshakeable Raven. She didn't want them thinking that she still had nightmares—even though she did-, that the four glowing red eyes of the devil still stared back at her from the mirror—because they did-, that she was not completely whole inside—because there was a big chunk of her soul missing.

But why was she thinking of these things now? These were distracting thoughts, thoughts that wouldn't do her any good and could even end up impeding her contribution in the conflict that was doubtless to ensue once they arrived at wherever it was that they were being summoned.

_Robin…_

Maybe he could make heads or tails out of what was wrong with her. Maybe he could understand what it was she was experiencing. The difficulties in meditating, the fatigue, the vision she'd had the night before…

"Whoa…guys…do you realize where we are?"

Beast Boy's trademark, high-pitched voice cut through Raven's thoughts like a knife, dashing away her self-hate, her confusion, her frustration, her ineptness to deal with the strangeness that had become her life. Her life had always been strange but recently it had become more convoluted than ever.

The green lad had obviously unmorphed, since he was speaking, but Raven, in her melancholy reflection, had let the others get ahead of her. Gathering her resolve, she pushed herself harder, gathering her remaining strength and focusing her energies on catching her friends. She was so intent on getting to them that the scenery flew by her unnoticed and the growing cesspool of unease in her stomach was misattributed to the fact that she was still upset over her visions of the night before.

"Man…I do _not _like this. Not one bit." Cyborg commented, his voice—like Beast Boy's—loud and strong enough for hear across the void that separated them— stepping out of the T-Car. She heard him close the door a bit more forcefully than was required, his agitation evident in his unusually aggressive treatment of his car. She divided a tiny fraction of her mind to honing in analyzing the things flowing through him. She found fear, which startled her quite a bit. Absolute and unchecked fear. "Creepy vibes comin' out of there."

Raven's eyes flicked around her, taking in the scene that she had been ignoring before, intent as she was on getting her inner demons back under control. What she saw took her breath away, made her heart speed up, and her hands go clammy. The demons she had been trying to suffocate were enflamed a new, jumping up and dancing around inside her mind and soul, tormenting her with their lies, their truths, their very existences.

The Library.

Of all the places, of all the pools of demonic energy, of all the collections of sinister matter…it had to be the Library.

Raven shivered, her body suddenly becoming well aware that she had reached her limit. Weakened by the shock, the cold, and the draining effect of her powers, she half-fell, half-levitated to the ground, clutching at her heart. The eerie voice that haunted her dreams came back, echoing about inside her head, reminding her of what she was, of what she had done, and what she had yet to do.

It was terrifying.

"Friends, I do not like this," Starfire said, her voice heavy with un-Starfire emotions. "Please, let us leave."

Her friends hadn't noticed yet that she had lagged behind and that she was currently slumped over next to the T-Car but she couldn't blame them. The trial of Trigon's brief ascension to ruler of the Eartly realm had brought out the worst and best in them, made them face their own demons and the things they liked least about themselves. It had been a hard time for them, made harder by her selfish sacrifice and her inability to believe in the impossible, something that before that point in time she had never had trouble doing.

Cyborg grunted. "I don't like it either Star, but…" he paused and Raven guessed that he was checking the scanner embedded into his cybertronic arm. "Yeah…it's here. This is the place where the signal is strongest."

"Dudes…this isn't cool," Beast Boy said darkly. His voice had reached its lowest pitch, something it only did when he spoke of his lost love.

"I know, but…" Cyborg sighed. There was a crunching noise as his heavy feet walked over from where he stood. The next thing Raven knew, there was a strong, comforting hand on her shoulder, gentle in its firmness. "You doin' ok Raven?" the metal man asked, concern radiating out from his body and touching Raven.

The demon in her shrieked at the influx of positive emotions while the human in her reveled in them. She looked up, the soft crunching of snow becoming louder as Starfire and Beast Boy came over to the trouble girl and the cyborg. She nearly choked on the strong emotions of comradely and friendship that she felt, fighting back the tears that wanted to flood down her face.

She was a mess inside, a giant mix-up of things that she shouldn't and didn't want to be feeling. For the first time in a long time she felt like she was that little girl on Azarath, separated from her mother, not permitted the luxury of feeling love or care from others. Just one simple dream had set her off, just one little voice had managed to bring down the barriers she was trying to reconstruct. She had no idea what she wanted anymore, no idea what to do or where to go.

She did know, however, that she needed someone, and that someone was…

"Hello Titans. It is a pleasure to see you again."

The already cold air dropped fifty degrees as the slick, deep voice of the one man on earth they hated most broke through the stillness of the air. Raven could feel the tension they had all been feeling reach new levels, could sense the loathing burning brightly inside them. Cyborg's hand on her shoulder tightened, not enough to hurt her but it made her wince. Raven lifted her head, her heart beating faster than it had ever before.

The vision.

The Library.

And now…

…_him_.

"Slade."


	4. Chapter 4

~4~

"Slade."

The words came from Beast Boy's mouth but they were on the lips of everyone, a sort of unspoken curse. Without another thing said, the group of teens launched an attack, not even waiting to see what it was their nemesis wanted. As far as they were concerned, he could talk after he was cuffed and behind bars.

Something inside Raven had frozen as her friends had come alive, and she remained on her knees even as her friends ran off to fight their adversary. Something had locked her in place, grabbed her, rooted her to the spot. Numbly, she watched the scene unfolding before her, her mind beyond reasonable thought and comprehension.

Her friends didn't seem to notice that she hadn't joined them and she watched the battle unfold before her in a detached state, almost as if she was watching a movie. It was all a beautiful dance, choreographed by the god of war; snow was flying, glittering in the sunlight, the music was the feral battle cries of her comrades: the roar of the beast inside Beast Boy, the righteous fury of an alien race, the determination of a man that had lost it all.

Beast Boy transformed into a T-Rex, Starfire coming right up behind him, hands glowing with deadly starbolts. Nonchalantly, as if a prehistoric dinosaur and an alien weren't bearing down on him, Slade performed a flip that would put most Olympians to shame, using the structures around him to his advantage. Dodging green energy globs and teeth, he side-stepped Cyborg's sonic blast with ease.

Turning his momentum into an offensive maneuver, Slade pivoted on his foot and threw what appeared to be a small circular disk at the orange girl. Starfire's eyes glowed green, lasers ready to fire, but was taken by surprise when small cables flew out of the disk, wrapping themselves around her and electrocuting her, sending her crashing to the ground with a cry.

Enraged, Cyborg let out a yell and ran over to Slade, attempting to slug him one across the face. At the same time, Beast Boy transformed into a kangaroo and bounded over, intent on kicking Slade in the stomach. At the last second, Slade moved out of the way and their attacks hit each other, causing them to go flying.

Cracking his knuckles and rolling his head, Slade turned his attention to Raven, who was still in her spot on the ground, held their by a force greater than her.

How had he been able to best them so quickly? He had never possessed skills like this before! Of course, Beast Boy and Cyborg weren't down for the count and if they could get Starfire out of the arms of the thing shocking her senseless they'd be ready to fight again but still…!

"And then there was one…"

The sound of his metal-soled boots crunching down the pure white snow seemed louder than anything else Raven had ever heard before. They were the sound of her madness, of her defeat, of everything she feared at that moment then and there. She could see it all happening, but she couldn't stop it. The drums of the universe were playing inside her head, beating out a rhythmic pattern of doom. Every snowflake that fell seemed to mock her with its purity, taunting her with its splendor and reminding her that while its live was short, it was its own unlike hers.

This was all happening within the span of a few seconds but to Raven it seemed like an eternity. Perhaps it was another curse of her demonic heritage, this ability to see time in such a slow motion. She had the power to stop it, so why shouldn't she be able to draw out seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days?

He was nearly in front of her before her rigid and tingling limbs began to regain feeling. Her heart was pounding, her mind filling with the memories of what had been her greatest failure. Yes, that failure had led to her greatest triumph, but it didn't matter to her at that moment. All that mattered was that the trauma she'd suffered was coming back to eat at her,

There was something off about Slade, about the whole situation. He wasn't attacking her, wasn't stealing anything, wasn't speaking in cryptic threats, wasn't taking advantage of her incapacitated teammates…he had them all at his mercy and he was doing _nothing._ Why?

Her eyes widened, a realization suddenly dawning on her as he stopped in front of her, unmoving. Looking up at him, her eyes full of shock and confusion mixed with acceptance and understanding, she spoke.

"The dream."

Slade looked down, his one eye taking in the young woman before him on the cold wet ground. He had not been surprised when she hadn't run at him like her friends. After the night she'd had—after the night they'd _all_ had—he hadn't been expecting any less from her. Not for the first time, he regretted his decision of agreeing to help an interdimensional demon try to take over the mortal realm, only to instantly take back his regret. His feelings were still conflicted about his role in the end of the world; yes, he was glad to be alive—really alive and not just bone without flesh and blood—but was it worth the otherworldly visions that greeted him when he closed his remaining eye? Was it worth this link, this knot, where his ribbon of fate had been intertwined with that of two birds for all eternity?

Slade stopped walking, as he was directly in front of her now, and tilted his head slightly. This girl—no, this woman—was perhaps the most powerful being in the universe, in the whole of creation and yet she was letting all that power, all that raw talent, all that dark energy…she was letting it all go to waste.

Slade resisted the urge to shake his head in disgust. Why was it that people refused to take hold of the powers that fate had given them? Why was it that those that were gifted in the art of death and destruction ignored their calling? Why did they fight the dark tide, the slow ebb and call of the inky blackness?

It was his purpose in life to find someone to mold to his ways, someone to implant his hatred, his rage, his dark desires into. It was his dream to become immortal, to forever plague the world, to speak out of the darkness and remind humanity of the evil that existed in each and every soul, no matter how innocent someone may seem. She was the perfect vessel, a suitable container for everything dark and hideous that he couldn't stand that lived inside him. In some ways, he was more of a demon than the spawn of Satan himself that sat trembling before him. While she refused to give up on herself, to fully give into the devil inside, Slade embraced his and made sure that the only thing he cared about was his interests and his interests alone. And unfortunately, for him, his interests now included helping her.

"Not dream, vision," Slade said in his deep tones. "A Prophecy if you will."

"But why?" Raven asked, not seeming to care that her team's arch-nemesis was standing in front of her, studying her quietly as she fell apart inside. Then again, he was the least of her worries. "Why now? It can't be. Just…it's impossible. The Prophecy…the Prophecy happened. Trigon came. I defeated him. I…" she closed her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself. "This can't be happening!"

Slade sighed. If his mask hadn't been on he would have rubbed his face in agitation. Really, she was making more of a deal out of the situation than she should be. So what? It was just a Prophecy. True, the Prophecy would be fulfilled but was it really so bad? Perhaps it was because of the traumas that he had already experienced that made his heart hard about the whole deal, perhaps because it was all just a nuisance that he had to deal with, perhaps because it was just business to him, perhaps all those reasons and more were why he didn't really care about her emotional state. But he did care about one thing. Getting the job done. And perhaps getting a new apprentice in the long run…

If there was one thing that he was not above doing it was using someone's emotional distress, manipulating their innermost fears and desires to get what he wanted in the end. He had done it before and he would do it again; this child was no different, demon or human.

"There is no use in questioning what can or cannot be," Slade said, kneeling before Raven and taking her chin in his hand, forcing her head up so her striking purple irises met his dead black. "There is only accepting your fate, your destiny. Embrace it, don't run from it." He couldn't help but smile at his next words. "We all know how well that went over for you last time my dear."

Rage flashed through her eyes and Slade could have sworn that he saw a spark of red, but before he knew what was happening he was being hurled across the snow and ice, directly into one of the pillars that stood outside the library.

"Oof!" air escaped from Slade's lungs, making a hasty exist out his mouth as his back hit hard concrete. He tasted a sweet metallic tang and knew that something inside him had been damaged but he couldn't help but smile at this small victory of his. He still had it, that ability to dig and uncover what people would like to forget. Maybe he shouldn't be playing with fire now that he was flesh and blood and therefore mortal again, but he couldn't help it. It was just so much fun.

"Don't you dare!" Raven screamed at him, struggling to contain the rage and hatred she felt inside. Even though he had said little, he had hit a sensitive nerve, had torn off the scar tissue of a healing wound. And she was angry.

She hated herself for what she had done, for what she had become, for what she still had the potential to be. And she didn't need him of all people reminding her of her faults and failures, of her ghosts and devils.

Letting out a scream of frustration, Raven began to attack Slade blindly, letting her emotions go and just letting herself _feel_. She could see him dodging, bobbing and weaving, ducking and dancing, avoiding her attacks barely. She could get him, she knew that deep down. She knew that if he slowed down or made one mistake, he would be killed. He knew that too of course, he perhaps understood better than she what she was capable of. He had, after all, been her father's pawn and saboteur at the same time.

Not satisfied with just hurling dark energy and random objects at him, Raven lunged forward, needing the physical stimulation in addition to the mental. Granted, she wasn't a match for Slade when it came to martial arts but her powers would protect her where her defense failed. She needed this, this release, this physical punishment. She needed to feel alive and this was how she was going to feel it. On some level she realized that this was the demon in her talking, but she was mentally unsound, unable to stop herself or see clear thought.

"You need me," Slade said as they danced, parrying each other's every move, "why deny it? You know that I can help you, so why don't you let me?"

Raven snorted. "What makes you think that I need _you? _I _hate_ you."

"Because," Slade said, finally catching her by the arm roughly, yanking her painfully and making her wince. She was breathing heavy, exhausted no doubt by her sudden exertions. Slade resisted the urge to taunt her with the fact that he knew that using her powers now taxed her body and came at a price. There would be time for that later, when they were on…civil…terms. "I have information you need. Face it my dear, I know your old man better than you do."

"Well congratulations," Raven spat. "I can't say that I envy you."

Slade smirked, even though she couldn't see it. "Come now, as a father myself, I understand that he only wanted what was best for you."

Raven's eyes opened wide at that. "As a…?" She looked at him quizzically. "What are…?"

"What? The bad guy has a backstory? So sorry to burst your bubble my dear, but I had a life before you Titans," Slade said sarcastically. "But I'm not the focus here. You are. And it just so happens that my future is dependent on yours and it just so happens that I know things that you don't. Come now, be honest, you don't know much about Trigon, do you? Like how he came into being? How your precious monks are the reason for your mother's suffering, are the reason for your existence? Tell me."

Raven narrowed her eyes, heart hammering in her chest. A sinking feeling was setting in her stomach, gripping hold of her innards and refusing to let go. What was he getting at?

She opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off as a voice screamed—

-"Raven! Duck!"

A/N: Thanks so much for all the follows, favs, and reviews! I really appreciate it! :D


	5. Chapter 5

~5~

"Robin! No!" Raven screamed as Robin threw himself at Slade. She didn't really need to duck, as Slade was holding her far enough away from his body that Robin had a clear shot at him, but she supposed that he had yelled it as a warning, in case she had been thinking of doing something that would have landed her in the martial artist's path. Robin, fully caught-up in his Slade fury, did not hear her of course, and carried through unwaveringly with his attack.

Slade's eye widened as Robin kicked his foot into his side, causing the older man to drop Raven onto the snow covered ground. Not giving his nemesis a moment to recover, Robin slammed his fist into Slade's solar plexus, catching him in the mask with his knee as Slade bent over from the blow, the wind knocked out of him. Raven watched as her leader beat the man, not giving him a chance to catch his breath or stabilize his footing. She would have been shocked by the ferocity of Robin's attack if it had been any opponent other than Slade.

It seemed that when it came to the one-eyed man anything less than using excessive force would result in their defeat, and even when they went all out it still proved futile and ended with him slipping away into the darkness once more, practically unscathed. The only mortal that had ever managed to best him completely was Terra, and while Raven doubted that the teen had really forgotten about her past, Raven knew that it was a feat that the blonde would never be able to accomplish again. Raven appreciated Terra's sacrifice for them all, but she was not deluding herself into thinking that the former Titan had been anything but lucky in catching Slade off guard, when his emotions had cut loose and tension was running high. She had tricked him, betrayed him, had stooped down to his level and the man had been utterly thrown off his game, allowing the disturbed girl to send him to what should have been his grave for all eternity…

Until her father had intervened.

Her father…

A chill swept through her body, the bloodlust from just seconds ago gone as the tendrils of darkness touched at the edges of her soul. What had Slade been about to say? What did he know? She bit her lip in frustration, wondering why she cared about the information he had all of a sudden. Her father was dead, wasn't he? _Wasn't he_?

A sort of after-chill tickled her insides as she realized that even though she had defeated her father, she still had her dark side and she had almost given into it. Her blind rage, her hatred, her relentless assault…even if it had been Slade, he hadn't deserved all that. She had felt something sinister brewing within her, something dark and terrible and unlike anything she had ever felt before. And it terrified her.

Her purple eyes drifted up to where Robin and Slade were fighting. Slade had finally gotten his ground and was fighting back; fists were flying, feet were moving in spiral movements, making the two look like they were locked in a sort of deadly dance. She knew that she should get up, that she should drag her paralyzed body up off the cold ground and melting snow. But she couldn't. She was trapped, her worst fears coming back from their resting place to jump at her from the shadows and corners of her mind once again.

The monks had made her mother suffer? They were the reason for her existence? How was that even possible?

Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to fit the puzzle pieces together, but she couldn't make heads or tails of it. How could they be the catalysts of something so awful, so downright evil? How could they, in their wisdom and grace, have brought about the tragedies that led to her creation? Trigon was the reason her mother had suffered. Trigon was the reason for her existence. The monks had taken her mother in, they had protected her. They had kept her from killing herself, had saved Raven's own life from being terminated. They were benevolent and peaceful; purged of all human emotions like greed, love, pride, arrogance, jealousy. They were everything good, had sacrificed everything…so why would Slade say such a thing? What his angle? His goal? Was he lying?

Raven shook her head, her brain starting to throb as she tried to sort it all out. Slade was complicated to say the least. He never helped unless he could benefit so why would he dangle this thread in front of her? Surely if he wanted her to cooperate with him he would have chosen something else. If he was just trying to get her to do something for him, this was the worst way he could go about getting her to do it. He had to know that she was done with her father, wanted nothing more to do with him. But then...if he knew that, why bring it up?

Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, Raven bent over in pain as something inside her skull tried to tunnel its way out.

She was interested, curious, despite her best intentions. The darkness she had felt within her just a short while ago…a part of her had liked it, the part of her that was evil, demented, twisted. She hadn't had reason to fly into a rage since her father's demise but Slade had set her off, found the raw nerve and touched it delicately, setting her off. And she needed to know why.

/

"Erragh!"

Robin's fist flew forward, meeting Slade's open palm. The older man's hand closed over the green gloved knuckles tightly, cutting off Robin's ability to escape. The teen gritted his teeth, frustrated, as he tried to yank his hand away, only to be caught painfully in the ribcage by Slade's armored knee.

"Gah!"

Slade's let go of Robin the minute he came in contact with Robin's bones, taking the wonder boy off of his face and his breath away from him. There wasn't any time for him to worry about bruises or other injuries, for his nemesis was instantly upon him, fists and feet going a mile a second. Robin was used to this sort of punishment on his body however and is able to press on.

He regretted letting the Titans go ahead without him; something had told him the minute he had told Raven to go, had let her leave him when there was so much still unspoken between them, that it was a mistake. He had gotten ready as quickly as possible, throwing on his boots, zipping up his pants, fastening his cape, collecting his tools of the trade. As he had sped towards them, not getting a response on his communicator from any of them, not even Starfire, a worm of worry had nestled into gut and started to feast upon his deepest fears. Something had just told him that Slade was involved, that the masked menace was somehow behind the distress beacon so early in the morning. He hadn't spoken a word to Raven as she'd turned around and ran off down the hall, her mind no doubt on the battle to come but he wouldn't doubt that she knew that something was up with him. They were connected after all.

That was probably why, in retrospect, he had had his breath stolen from him halfway to the location marked for him on his tracking system, why he had suddenly felt a terror creep through him and whisper in his ear.

Slade.

"AGH!"

Robin's attacks suddenly became fiercer, the mere thought of his name sending him into a frenzy. It was difficult, trying to keep himself from going insane when thinking about this man. If he lost his head while fighting him, all would be lost and the Titans, his friends, his _family_, would pay the price. Terra had.

Neither opponent had the breath or energy to exchange words so the masked avenger did not even know why Slade had tripped an alarm and brought the team down upon him. Robin didn't need to know, or at least he thought he didn't. Slade wasn't concerned with earthly possessions other than his own flesh and the only times he came after the teens, excluding his little deal with Trigon in which he had hunted Raven, was when he was searching for someone to poison, someone to instill in them his hatred of the world and all things in it: an apprentice.

But who was it this time?

_Raven._

The thought hit Robin like a lightning bolt, even though he had been expecting it since Slade had first learned of the untapped potential in the quiet girl. Raven had confided in Robin herself the banter the two had exchanged on her birthday.

"_All this time I had no idea of the power lurking inside you. The glorious destiny that awaits. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"_

Shivers cascaded down the young man's spine as pictures of Slade getting his hands on Raven flashed through his mind. Raven, wearing Slade's colors. Raven, committing crimes in his name. Raven, giving in to the darkness inside her. Raven, forever lost to him, the bond still strong but tainted with unspeakable crimes and indescribable horrors.

She was indeed powerful, more so than perhaps any living being in the known universe. Despite having fulfilled her life's original purpose, there had been no decrease in her powers from what Robin had understood and all that untapped potential that Slade had learned about from the demon she had been sired by, all the untapped potential that Slade knew more about than Raven herself, was still there. The very thought of seeing Slade get to her, of Slade breaking her, twisting her to his vile machinations, was enough to send Robin over the edge. He couldn't let that happen, not to Raven. Not after everything she'd been through. He couldn't, wouldn't.

"RAHHHH!"

Robin leapt at Slade, putting all his momentum into the move as he pulled out a Birdarang, intent on driving it into Slade in one of the weak points in his armor, incapacitating him before he could destroy Raven's fragile psyche. She was still putting herself back together, still coming to terms with what it meant to be to be free. Her entire life she had lived in fear of what she would become one day and had been resigned to the idea of destiny, that her life was predetermined for her and that there was nothing she could do. Being set free from that had left her with a void; she had fulfilled her dark calling, something that she had hated but had nonetheless thought was her only purpose in life. She was now figuring out what it meant to live, really live, and what it meant to look forward to tomorrow. And Robin wasn't about to let Slade convince her that she was still meant for the dark path, that her escaping one grisly fate had only led her to another equally as bad.

Slade saw Robin coming and withdrew his own weapon, a small knife.

_So this is it. This is how I die. _Robin thought to himself as he continued through on his kamikaze mission. A part of him didn't care that he would be throwing his life away in this reckless gesture. There were ways of defeating Slade, of bringing down the evil man, that didn't involve death on the parts of both parties but at that moment Robin didn't care. He didn't care because he was sick of this pathetic man, because he was tired of always just falling short of stopping him. Even if Slade's plans didn't succeed, he always managed to scar the team mentally, made them question something about themselves and each other, driving a wedge between them.

Just as the two were about to collide, weapons drawn, Robin heard a scream.

"STOP!"

The next thing he knew, he was wrapped in crackling black energy, suspended in midair with Slade poised beneath him. His eyes widened, the rest of his body immobilized.

_Raven._

Shifting his eyes to see what had become of Slade, Robin became infuriated upon seeing the calm look on his face.

"Took you a little longer to step in then I expected," Slade commented dryly, his eye slipping from Robin to the right of where the two were captive to where the soft crunch of snow could be heard. "I wasn't going to kill him. Just make it so he couldn't use that hand of his for a while."

"I'm sure," Raven said darkly, walking into Robin's field of vision, her eyes glowing that bright white color they did when she used her powers. Her body was tense and rigid, her emotions tightly under wraps but radiating out from her nonetheless through her body language and tight, controlled voice. She was upset.

_If Slade has done anything to her…_

Robin's anger, momentarily displaced by the shock of being stopped mid-attack, returned tenfold. In the back of his mind he knew that he could find out what was picking at her if he could just quiet himself long enough to become in tuned with the emotions being fed to him from her through their bond but as it was he was furious, his rage uncontainable. He knew that his emotions were probably knocking inside her mind as well, his hate and loathing no doubt stirring up the darker things within her, but he couldn't help it, couldn't stop himself.

"Raven!" he yelled, struggling against her hold. "Let me go! Slade's going to-!" He stopped talking abruptly as she used their bond to forcefully push through his blinding fury, showing him her inner thoughts and feelings. They came to him, strong and clear; so clear, in fact that he had a moment's confusion in figuring out if they were his or hers. He quieted instantly, ceasing in his movements as the analytical and rational side of him, the side that was the leader of the Teen Titans, took over and shoved aside the beast.

Slade had said all that to her? He was a father? What was going on?

His brow creased and he licked his lips. So…Slade wasn't after Raven as an apprentice? Or was he? Was this some new tactic he had thought up? But no…it didn't make any sense.

He knew. About the vision-dream. He knew. But how?

_Robin…_

His heart twisted painfully in his chest, her fear and desperation reaching out to him in that simple word. She was lost, confused. First the prophecy, and then this…Something larger was going on, something much bigger than Slade simply wanting another apprentice.

Robin swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

Had Trigon returned? No, no, that couldn't be. Raven had defeated him, killed him herself. Robin had been there to see it with his own eyes; he had felt all the evil, the ominous weight that had been pressing down on him the minute that Trigon had been birthed into the mortal realm, he had felt it all dissipate, eradicated from existence for all time to come as the hope that was Raven had showered down like rain from the heaves and cleansed his soul.

"If you two lovebirds are quite finished conversing I'd like to be let go now," Slade said, bored.

The two birds' heads snapped towards him in unison, irritated at being reminded of his existence.

"How do we know you're not going to attack us?" Raven questioned.

"Because I didn't attack you first," Slade pointed out. "You were the ones who attacked me."

"Sorry if we don't believe you," Robin said wryly. "Seeing as how in the past you've had no problem attacking us first."

Slade sighed. "I am just here to…help. I can't help it if you don't believe me."

"Oh yeah? Since when do you help?" Robin asked bitterly. "Raven doesn't buy what you're selling and neither do I. You don't have a good bone in your body."

Slade's eye narrowed, the word _bone_ having been emphasized by the boy wonder. He was still a bit touchy when it came to be reminded of how just a year prior he had been nothing but a skeleton. "Then have Raven do that little mind meld to see that I am telling the truth. I think that is the only way you will see that my intentions are…for the best of the interested parties."

"Not a chance," Robin snapped back. Turning to Raven, he said, "Raven. Don't. It could be a trap." Of course he needn't have bothered to tell her not to, and as it was she raised her eyebrow as if to ask "Really? No kidding," but he couldn't stop himself.

"Are you sure you just don't want anyone else having a bond with Raven?" Slade remarked snidely. "Jealousy doesn't suit you Robin. It suits an apprentice of mine though. Speaking of which, that position is still vacant."

A flush, part anger and part embarrassment, spread across Robin's face and Raven ducked down inside her hood.

"That's…that's not what I meant," Robin said, frustrated with what had been said for more than reason. "And you know it."

"Hn." Slade snorted. "Whatever you say. We don't have time for this anyway. They will be here soon and it would be best if we were all on the same prophecy page before they get here."

The mortification both teens felt instantly vanished, replaced by surprise, confusion, and curiosity.

"Who is coming?" Raven asked, suspicious.

Slade turned his eye on her, his mouth curling up in a knowing unseen smile inside his mask. "Why…your brothers of course."

A/N: If you haven't guessed, I'm going to be exploring Trigon's story a bit more in this fanfiction. He does have sons too, they are not OCs. I would tell you their names, but I want to keep them a surprise for those of you who don't know (although you could always google them I suppose). Thanks for the reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy!


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